Thanksgiving

The word “Thanksgiving” means a North American holiday for giving thanks, marked with a family feast — the fourth Thursday of November in the US, the second Monday of October in Canada. In plain terms, usually refers to the American/Canadian holiday, but can also mean any expression of gratitude.

“Thanksgiving” is pronounced thangks-GIH-vihng (/θæŋksˈɡɪvɪŋ/ in IPA).

Here is “Thanksgiving” used in a sentence: “We always have turkey for Thanksgiving.”

“Thanksgiving” is a noun.

“Thanksgiving” is a fairly common word in modern English.

“Thanksgiving” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a North American holiday for giving thanks, marked with a family feast — the fourth Thursday of November in the US, the second Monday of October in Canada.

In the United States, Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November. In Canada it comes earlier, on the second Monday of October. Both holidays center on a family feast and the giving of thanks.

Capitalize Thanksgiving when it names the North American holiday: "We're hosting Thanksgiving this year." Lowercase thanksgiving is a common noun meaning an expression of gratitude or a short prayer of thanks, as in "a service of thanksgiving."

Gratitude is the feeling of being thankful, while thanksgiving is the act of expressing that feeling, often formally in a prayer or ceremony. When capitalized, Thanksgiving also names the North American holiday devoted to giving thanks.

"Happy Thanksgiving" is the standard greeting in both the United States and Canada. "Thanksgiving Day" is the holiday's fuller, more formal name — the kind that appears on calendars and in official proclamations — but in conversation people almost always shorten it to Thanksgiving.